AirSpaceMag.com

Beautiful Bombers

A new book documents the glory of the World War II aircraft

A Boeing YB-17 flies over the Cascade Mountains. Though the B-17 program initially lost out to the cheaper Douglas B-18, the U.S. Army Air Corps saw so much potential in the B-17’s design that funds were made available to continue developing the aircraft.
(John R. Bruning Collection)

By
John R. Bruning

July 12, 2011

2 of 11

Growing Pains

(John R. Bruning Collection)

In the 1930s, the British aviation industry struggled to bring to production an entire crop of new bombers, such as the Short Stirling, which took five years to go from concept to combat operational. As these growing pains hampered the expansion of the force, older designs, such as these Bristol Blenheims, were forced to remain in front-line service long after they had become obsolete.